1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to frames used as a base within mattress foundations, and more particularly to floating slat frames adapted to provide additional flexibility within mattress foundations of various configurations.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Early prior art bedding structures often included springs incorporated into a bed frame to resiliently support a user above a floor surface directly, or in combination with an upper mattress. Examples of such structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 93,632; 159,930; 162,096; and 169,615. In other embodiments, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 67,362; 95,329; 99,056; 123,046; 268,071; and 1,808,679, springs or other resilient members were used within bed bottom or mattress structures to separate a bottom plane, intended to be held by a bed frame, from a top plane, intended to support a user either directly or in combination with an upper mattress.
More modern bedding structures commonly have separate bedding components which together form a complementary system having an upper mattress resting on top of a mattress foundation, which in turn is held above a floor surface by a bed frame. Three of the most common types of upper mattresses are an inner spring mattress typically having a plurality of wire coil modules arranged in an rectangular array and defining top and bottom planes; a foam core mattress having one or more layers of foam defining top and bottom planes; and a fluid filled mattress such as a waterbed or air mattress. The mattress foundation may include a relatively rigid or resilient core assembly, and sometimes may be referred to as a xe2x80x9cbox springxe2x80x9d in the trade. Contrary to some early bedding structures, both mattress foundations and mattresses now typically include a top padding and fabric covering to provide an upholstered finish. In regard to the underlying bed frame, it may be a simple metal frame structure to hold a mattress foundation, and hence an overlying mattress, above a floor surface, or may be a more elaborate piece of furniture having structure adapted to hold a mattress foundation, and an overlying mattress above a floor surface.
Of particular interest, modem mattress foundations tend to have a fairly standard rigid base constructed of a plurality of wood or metal slats fixedly connected to each other. An example of such a conventional prior art base in the form of a slat frame 1 is shown in FIG. 1. The slat frame would typically be constructed of wood pieces nailed or stapled together to form a relatively rigid base. As shown in the prior art of FIG. 1, the slat frame is comprised of a series of laterally spaced slats 2 that are attached or connected to a series of longitudinally spaced slats 4. Lateral end slats 6 and lateral filler slats 8 form the ends of the slat frame. In this regard, for purposes of explanation only, the term xe2x80x9clongitudinalxe2x80x9d will be used when speaking of the head-to-toe direction of any portion of a mattress foundation. In turn, the complementary term xe2x80x9clateralxe2x80x9d will be used when addressing the side-to-side direction of any portion of a mattress foundation. The base would be sized to engage a corresponding standard bed frame. The base provides a structure to which one can fasten an upper core assembly to accept the load from above and to obtain the spacing between the top and bottom plane of the mattress foundation.
In some foundations, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,064 and 4,377,279, the additional core assembly mounted on the slat frame base is relatively rigid and may be constructed of bent wire. However, relatively rigid core assemblies may be of many different configurations and may be made of various materials, such as wire, wood, plastic, or the like. In other mattress foundations, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,921,228 and 4,730,358, and which also may be known as box springs, the core assembly is intended to be resilient and may be constructed of bent or coiled wire. As with the relatively rigid core assemblies, resilient core assemblies may be constructed in many different ways and of various materials, such as wire, plastic, foam, or the like. In any event, the core and base are typically covered in padding and fabric in the final mattress foundation.
Hence, it has become common for mattress foundations to incorporate a slat frame as a base. These slat frames typically consist of a plurality of wood and/or metal slats fixed in a crossed relationship to each other, as generally shown in FIG. 1. The slat frames are used to carry a core assembly, to ultimately distribute the bedding load to the bed frame, and to provide relatively rigid or resilient spacing of the mattress from the bed frame.
Manufacturers have tended to focus on the structure and performance of wire or wood core assemblies atop common rigid slat frames. Indeed, the prior art contains many developments relating to tuning the comfort, durability or other performance characteristics, or to reduce cost or complexity of mattress foundation core assemblies. However, although numerous prior art core assemblies for attachment to common bases exist, manufacturers have generated little thought or innovation with respect to the slat frames themselves.
In a mattress foundation using a relatively rigid core assembly atop a slat frame, it is undesirable, yet may be common, to encounter a hard downward stop when pressure is applied to an overlying mattress. Nevertheless, prior to the present invention, in mattress foundations where manufacturers wished to avoid such a hard stop, the core assembly had to be designed to provide resilience independent of the slat frame itself. Thus, it is desirable to provide a slat frame that, when used in conjunction with a relatively rigid core assembly, is capable of providing some resilience while still providing a relatively rigid structure for engaging a bed frame. Such a structure would permit the relatively rigid core assemblies to flex under pressure, thereby offering a more resilient mattress foundation without need to design resilience into the core assembly.
Even with mattress foundations that incorporate a resilient core assembly atop a slat frame, it is desirable that the slat frame have some resilience to permit further tuning of the performance characteristics of the foundation.
Also, it is desirable to be able to isolate movement within the mattress foundation in correspondence with the location of the pressure applied. This is most easily appreciated in reference to isolating the respective deflection present across the width of a mattress foundation when used in conjunction with an upper mattress that accommodates two or more people.
It is further advantageous to be able to provide different levels of resilience at different locations within a mattress foundation. For instance, it may be desirable for a mattress foundation to be relatively rigid along the sides while being more resilient at the ends and in the central portion of the foundation. Or, for example, a manufacturer may wish for a mattress foundation to be relatively rigid at the ends and more resilient along the sides and in the central portion.
It also is desirable to be able to use a common relatively rigid or resilient core assembly with various slat frames to produce different products. For instance, rather than having to retool to manufacture core assemblies of different heights to be able to offer thicker mattress foundations, manufacturers may use the same core assembly on a standard base frame and on a floating slat frame to achieve different mattress foundation thicknesses, as well as different levels of resilience.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the rigid bases found in the prior art, while providing the above mentioned desirable features of floating slat frames for mattress foundations. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon considering the remainder of this disclosure, including the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, the drawings and the claims.
The purpose and advantages of the invention will be set forth in and apparent from the description and drawings that follow, as well as will be learned by practice of the invention.
The present invention is generally embodied in an improved slat frame which can be configured in a variety of ways for use in mattress foundations. The floating slat frame comprises a first plurality of spaced apart slats arranged in a first direction and in a first plane and at least a second plurality of spaced apart slats arranged in a second direction and in a second plane, the second direction being at an angle to the first direction and the second plane being spaced from the first plane. The floating slat frame further has at least one resilient support disposed between and engaging at least one of the slats of the first plurality of slats and at least one of the slats of the second plurality of slats.
In a further aspect of the invention, a floating slat frame may be used in combination with at least one core assembly for use in a mattress foundation. The floating slat frame comprising a first plurality of spaced apart slats arranged in a first direction and in a first plane and at least a second plurality of spaced apart slats arranged in a second direction and in a second plane, the second direction being at an angle to the first direction and the second plane being spaced from the first plane. The floating slat frame further having at least one resilient support disposed between and engaging at least one of the slats of the first plurality of slats and at least one of the slats of the second plurality of slats. The core assembly comprising a rectangular top structure, a plurality of support modules attached at an upper end to the rectangular top structure and attached at a lower end to the floating slat frame.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of providing resilient support in a mattress foundation base frame is provided, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing in a first plane and in a first direction a first series of spaced apart slats having an upper surface, providing in a second plane spaced from the first plane and in a second direction at an angle to the first direction a second series of spaced apart slats having a lower surface, providing at least one slat engaging at least the upper surface of a plurality of slats of the first series, and providing at least one resilient support disposed between and engaging at least the upper surface of at least one slat of the first series and at least the lower surface of at least one slat of the second series.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and provided for purposes of explanation only, and are not restrictive of in the invention, as claimed. Further features and objects of the present invention will become more fully apparent in the following description of the preferred embodiments of this invention and from the appended claims.